Sketchy Tank has been 'disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed' for quite some time now, and we find his work quite comforting. Drawing inspiration from a mix of dicks, tattoos, 80s skateboarding imagery, and the strange things that happen in his brain, Sketchy Tank is defying the conventional. His work makes us laugh, question the bullshit, and maybe even cry. I've been following his work for some time now, and after I saw some of his shirts in (the only) local skate shop on the island of Montreal, I knew I had to hear what makes him tick. His work is so influential in people's lives/art brains that tons of 'em are even getting tattoos of his designs--his work certainly leaves a lasting impression

For Nigel Hearson, “fitting in” found its true meaning when skateboarding became a part of his life. Now with skateboarding in his lifestyle, Nigel feels the need to give back to the skating community who welcomed him arms wide open. The 18 year-old is well aware his chances of making it to the pros are slim, but he decided to counterbalance that by working in the skateboarding industry. Two years ago, he started a small company named Dicer Apparel, selling t-shirts, hoodies, beanies and such apparel.

If you ride a skateboard and have any intelligent awareness of what is happening within the social media outlets of skateboarding, you have definitely seen, related, and laughed to these illustrations by the brilliant Henry Jones. We set Henry apart from any competitors because his work is hysterically honest, highlighting thoughts and feelings that most skateboarders have experienced and related to before. We wanted to focus on some of his concepts behind particular hard hitting illustrations, his creative process, and just his two cents on the industry and what it has become.

My faith in humanity is restored when I see young skaters invest time in projects meant to improve Montreal’s skateboarding scene. Félix Patry is one of those skaters. Only 17, the hype surrounding this kid has been trending up for a year and he’s been featured in Exposé Magazine, Concrete Wave and Concrete Skateboarding Magazine. On a day-to-day basis, he gives skateboarding classes to kids at le Taz skatepark, goes to school and works on Project 45.

Antony Cribier is a kid who rides with style and most importantly, for himself. He doesn’t ever seem like hewants to prove something to someone. Sponsored by KREW, Natifs skateboards and NDJ skateshop, he competed in the last AM Getting Paid and VANS Riot Shop editions. Cribier is one of those shy fellows whose name won’t stay on the low key for long.

The first time I ever heard Mandy-Lyn Antoniou's name was in the lyrics of a live performance by No Sinner and I was dead set on knowing who the girl behind the lyrics was. Little did I know what world that question would open me up to: a life of punk rock, skateboarding and stunning girls, all displayed through her photographs. I've been an admirer ever since. I was stoked to be able to interview her for Get Born because it's girls like Mandy-Lyn who break the “no girls allowed” rule that inspire us. To say it in a few words: Mandy-Lyn gets it.

Adam is someone who has skated every spot, witnessed every legendary story first hand, and has helped to support many people progress into who they are now from a young age. If I were to ever write a book about what skateboarding was like in Montreal the last 20 years, Adam would be the first person I would have help me.

I met up with 15-year-old, goofy-stanced Philipe Dulude at Taz skatepark, which is actually where I first saw him ride about a year ago. You can easily see he has that special something running in his veins. And it's extremely satisfying to know you are right about that when you ask the guy, “What hobby do you have apart from skateboarding?” and he genuinely answers, “Skate or die”.

Gordon Nicholas is a Massachusetts-born photographer living in Vancouver B.C. We first recognized his work in Color Magazine, where he worked as the photo editor for many years. Gordon has the ability to immortalize perfect moments in between skate shots, as well as the skate shots themselves. He incorporates different elements of the road trips, incredible scenery, and all-around chaos of skateboarding culture into a minimalist presentational form. Because his work has had such a big influence on West Coast skateboarding culture, we wanted to share some of our favorite images he has taken and ask him a couple questions about what he’s done throughout his career.

"Skateboarding is one of those things with no boundaries, and you might as well take advantage of that. There is something really special that allows me to be creative at every spot, but I won’t reveal my secret yet."

Hugo Papillion is a skateboarder who really stands out in the Montreal community. He saw the lack of spots and quality parks and took initiative to create his own. The first DIY spot he ever made attracted out-of-towners to come film at his stolen concrete-slab bench. Now, Hugo runs his own building company that specializes in skateparks, hoping to put the quality back in the local community that’s become overrun by not-so-local companies. He has some really key points on the industry in Quebec, and its definitely worth your read.

The legalization of skateboarding in Peace Park has made a tremendous difference in liberating Montreal’s skate culture. The park is a big, open space surrounded by an unbelievable amount of perfect manual pads and ledges – putting Montreal street skating on a whole other level. Since the early days of skateboarding, it has been a place for people to meet up, hang out, and skate all day. Many locals know it as the heart and soul of skateboarding in Montreal.

Ri resembles the core of skateboarding that many people have lost or never had. He is one of Canadas most OG skate rats who stayed true to the essence of skating by never leaving his foundation. So, if you are concerned with your own future as a skater, the future of Quebec skating, or the future of the skate industry at large, we highly suggest that you take the time to hear what Ri has to say.

Chris Contesso is a great example of what Get Born is all about: a creative and truly talented individual involved in the midwestern skate scene who deserves more recognition for all the rad shit that he's doing.

One of the most recent projects on Visual Pollution was an exhibition called Escape Bored, where Wolfe and some of his homies redesigned old skateboards into sick pieces of art. Wolfe was able to get a diverse group of artists together to work on the boards so that each piece had its own unique style, like each board was its own little world.

David Boots is a ground breaking leader within Montreal skateboarding. He has been around since the early 90s and has revolutionized street art, skateboarding and social media throughout his years of experience. As you read this article, you will get his personal perspective on the amazing work he contributed to the skate scene.

Skate missions with Nico Rizzo and Mason Barnardare always the best. Both dudes have taught me a lot of important things when it comes to friendship and skateboarding. Skateboarding connects people on different levels. Its a world of mutual understanding where people find comfort in self destruction.

Born and raised in Montreal’s west neighborhood, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Charles LeMoyne sheds light on the NDG skateboarding culture. With over 250 videos all filmed and edited by Charles himself, his youtube channel represents the healthy perspective of west side skateboarders.